Ontario and US Continue to Pose PED Risk to Western Canada

CANADA - Transport movements of swine from Ontario and the US remain a risk factor for spreading Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea, writes Bruce Cochrane.

British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan remain free of PED and all previously infected farms in Manitoba and Quebec have been declared free of infection but the virus continues to circulate through Ontario and the United States.

Dr Julia Keenliside, a Veterinary Epidemiologist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, told Alberta Pork's monthly telephone town hall yesterday transport movements from the US and Ontario continue to pose a risk.

Dr Julia Keenliside-Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development:

Ontario of course didn't have quite the good luck because they were first and they got hit with so many cases but they've done a fantastic job of cleaning up most of their cases.

They were down to just a few positive sites. They have had a few new cases.

They had 3 new cases reported this week in Ontario because they haven't completely eliminated the virus yet.

In the US we can look at how many positive sites they have that are being reported and it is decreasing.

There's a significant decrease from last year but you have to remember that we're still seeing new cases every week in the US.

So the virus is still active and it's still being moved around.

I think we have to remember the US does remain a risk of infection for Canada so anywhere where there are, especially transport links to the USA. does remain a risk.

For us in western Canada that main transport route is through Manitoba and the assembly yards in Manitoba.

So I think we have to remember that assembly yards, particularly those that contact the U.S. and U.S. trucks should always be considered suspect.

Even now, while we're enjoying our PED free status, we have to remember that risk is still there in those assemblies and certainly that will be a risk anywhere with Ontario.

Dr Keenliside is optimistic that, with the onset of spring, the risk will go down but, until winter is over, we still have to be on guard.